Arctic Update Header
September 29, 2015
  
2015 Arctic Energy Summit, September 28-30, 2015 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Institute of the North's 2015 Arctic Energy Summit builds on legacy efforts to address energy as a fundamental element of the sustainable development of the Arctic as a lasting frontier. Central to this concept is a focus on providing pathways for affordable energy development in the Arctic and for Arctic communities.

Today's C
ongressional Action:   
The Senate will consider a procedural motion regarding federal funding for fiscal year 2016. The House is expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.

Media  
 
Tourists Nome Hosts Arctic Cruises, Tourism Expected to Expand and Diversify. They're hard to miss. Most of them wear matching red jackets. Many carry around identical ship-issued polyester backpacks, juxtaposed by their designer, genuine leather rolling suitcases. They're usually only in town for a few hours, half a day at most, enough time to walk the length of Front Street, get bused around the outskirts of town, and be back to port by dinnertime. Cruise-ship passengers are an increasingly common sight during Nome's summer. But unlike the tourists that flood the streets in March for the Iditarod, passengers aboard ships like the Bremen -- a German cruise ship that passed through Nome earlier this month -- a majority of them are European and know very little of what Nome has to offer. In fact, many only know the town for its role in the Last Great Race. Alaska Dispatch News
 
Arctic Waters are Buzzing With Life During Dark Winter. Winter may cast the Arctic into darkness for months but wildlife - from predatory seabirds to bottom-feeding critters - are more active during that time than ever imagined. Documenting the frozen waters of a fjord in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, an international team of more than 100 scientists found high levels of reproductive activity, feeding, and growing across the marine environment. For the past three winters, the team of researchers filmed underwater, conducted biodiversity counts, and studied the stomach contents of fish and birds. Alaska Dispatch News
 
New Dinosaur Species That Lived Above Arctic Circle is Discovered. Researchers have found a new species of dinosaur that lived 69 million years ago above the Arctic Circle, the farthest north dinosaurs have ever been found. The animal, a plant eater about 30 feet long, has been named Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis - ancient grazer of the Colville River, in the Inupiaq language of the Inuit of Alaska. New York Times
 
Alcohol Abuse Lake of Housing, Violence, Additions Impede Nunavik Women's Success: Study. Nunavik women are at the heart of their families and communities, but that comes with a number of challenges, they say. A new report on the life and concerns of Nunavimmiut women shows that they consider the housing shortage, domestic violence, substance abuse and shortfalls inthe education and justice systems in Nunavik serious threats to the well-being of Inuit in the region - and to women's capacity to achieve equality with men. Nunatsiaq Online
 
Rep. Huffman Introduces Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act. Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) today introduced the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 2015, which would prohibit new or renewed oil and gas leasing in the Arctic Ocean Planning Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf. Today's bill introduction comes on the heels of Royal Dutch Shell's announcement that it will end drilling operations in the Arctic Ocean "for the foreseeable future." Huffman's bill would effectively bring a permanent end to drilling operations in the area. "Oil drilling in the harsh and dangerous Arctic Ocean carries unacceptable risks. An oil spill in the Arctic would be an environmental catastrophe that would pollute and cripple the ocean ecosystem, harming wildlife and damaging fragile shores for decades to come," said Huffman. Congressman Jared Huffman
 
Freezing US out of the Arctic. U.S. national security leadership has put Arctic issues on the back burner for decades, focusing on global hot spots in the Middle East, Asia and Russia. But the ice pack on the roof of the world is melting, and a surge of economic and foreign military activity is forcing Washington to take a hard look at how to fund polar priorities under an already strained federal budget. Washington Examiner
 
Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan to be Updated in 2016. when it comes to oil spills, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Matthew Mitchell says it's not a matter of if, but when. "As long as you have ships on the ocean, trucks on the roads, and oil being stored in man-made tanks, someday the bad thing is going to happen," Mitchell said. "You're going to have some type of an incident. So if the bad thing happens, what do you do?" KNOM

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

H.R. 3632, to prohibit drilling in the Arctic Ocean. (Introduced by Representative Huffman and referred to committee)

Future Events

Joint Session with House and Senate Special Committee on the Arctic (Alaska Legislature), October 2, 2015. (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Legislature will consider the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission's Implementation Plan. Presentations are expected by the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development; the Department of Environmental Conservation; the Department of Fish and Game; the Department of Law; the Department of Labor and Workforce Development; and public testimony. More information and streaming of the session are available here. 
 
2015 Arctic Science Conference, October 1-3, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The conference theme is "Healthy Estuaries: Sustainability and Resilience." Conference topics include traditional scientific disciplines, science education, arctic social sciences, biomedical research, and artistic interpretation of the evolving North.  Abstract submissions are now being accepted. The deadline is August 1, 2015. 
 
Resources for the Future and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment are hosting a seminar to understand the science behind increased shipping and the related impacts on marine life, ecosystems, and the communities that depend on them. Among the speakers will be Dr. Lawson Brigham, from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, an advisor to the USARC, and Ms. Denise Michels, Mayor of Nome, Alaska. Registration required. Available as webcast too. (By the way, RFF's website won't enable you to register using the Safari browser...try Chrome, or another)
 
The Arctic Circle is the largest global gathering on the Arctic. It is attended by heads of state and governments, ministers, members of parliament, officials, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, indigenous representatives, environmentalists, students, activists, and others from the growing international community of partners and participants interested in the future of the Arctic. The Arctic Circle highlights issues and concerns, programs, policies and projects; it provides platforms for dynamic dialogue and constructive cooperation. While the plenary sessions are the responsibility of the Arctic Circle, the breakout sessions are organized by various participating partners in their own name and with full authority over the agenda and the choice of speakers.
 
US Expert Panel on Shaping Global Policies for the Arctic : Penn State University, October 20, 2015 (State College, PA, USA). Penn State University will host an afternoon panel of national experts in the Arctic and in US interests in the region. Building on the law of the sea expertise of VADM James Houck (former Navy Judge Advocate General and now Interim Dean of the Law School and School of International Affairs at Penn State) and the knowledge of the changing Arctic environment of RADM David Titley (former head of the Navy's Task Force Climate Change and now professor from practice in the Department of Meteorology), the panel brings together experts in science, law, policy, and Arctic diplomacy. We see these experts individually at events in Washington, but Penn State is doing a great service in bringing them altogether at one event in an region that seldom gets such first hand expertise.
 
The Polar Oceans and Global Climate Change, November 3-6, 2015 (La Jolla, California USA).  The American Polar Society will host this Symposium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. A flyer with a partial list of presenters is available on the Society's website (americanpolar.org) and from the Society's Membership Chairman by email.

Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis Meeting, November 3-6, 2015 (Cape Cod, MA, USA). On November 3rd, the 2015 School for young scientists will consider "Regional Oceanography of the Arctic marginal seas" with lectures covering major features of atmospheric, sea ice and oceanographic regimes of the: Bering, Chukchi, Beaufort, East-Siberian, Laptev Sea, Kara, Barents and Nordic seas.  On November 4-6, the meeting portion will summarize project accomplishments for the last 3 years of activities and will focus on the formulation of scientific questions and directions for FAMOS future research (2016-2019) to: (a) improve Arctic modeling, employing very high resolution models; (b) develop and test new arctic monitoring/observing systems and (c) improve predictions of Arctic environmental parameters with reduced uncertainties.

Due North: Next Generation Arctic Research & Leadership, November 5-8, 2015 (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). The Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS) will convene an interdisciplinary conference of early career scientists working on Arctic issues. Topics will include: Arctic Communities, Arctic Sustainable Development, Arctic Wildlife, Ecosystem and Biodiversity, Arctic Food Security, Arctic Landscapes, Climate Change and Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management, Policy, Politics and Leadership, Arctic Environment (Data and Techniques), Arctic Resources, and Future of Arctic.
 
2015 Fall Meeting of the Marine Board of the National Academies, November 12-13, 2015 (Washington, D.C.). The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies will host its Fall 2015 Marine Board meeting in Washington, D.C. The main topics of focus for this meeting are "Responding to Emergencies in the Arctic 2015" and "Human and Intellectual Capital in Marine Transportation."
 
Matchpoints Seminar, November 12-13, 2015 (Aarhus, Denmark). The purpose of the conference is to provide a forum for policy-makers and academics to deliberate on how the security, resilience and sustainability of the globalized Arctic region and its peoples may be enhanced, and what instruments of governance may most suitably contribute. The conference will spell out (1) how the different relevant dimensions of security (military, economic, environmental, energy and human security) manifest themselves in the governing / governance arrangements in the Arctic; (2) how the challenges associated with each manifest themselves, individually and together; and  (3) what forms of governing arrangements can best help to address the challenges. The conference will also focus on (4) how the Nordic countries and nations, including Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Aaland Islands, may contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Arctic region through collaborative efforts based on their shared social, human, environmental and democratic values.
 
Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting, November 17-19, 2015 (Seattle, Washington). The Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting will be 2.5 days and held at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle, Washington. The conference will bring together individuals and teams involved in the collection, processing, analysis, and use of observations in the Arctic - from academia, agencies, industry, and other organizations. The meeting will be convened as a combination of plenary talks, parallel science sessions, and a poster session. The agenda and registration information will be forthcoming.
 
In the Spirit of the Rovaniemi Process 2015, November 24-26, 2015 (Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland).When the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, the so-called Rovaniemi Process, was adopted in 1991, it aimed at overcoming divisions and turning the zone of Cold War military tensions into a region of peace and co-operation. In this joint effort focusing on the protection of environment, and later, sustainable development, the Arctic states supported by indigenous organizations laid grounds for institutionalized collaboration and the emergence of Arctic regional identity. The second international conference will bring together decision-makers, scholars, artists, designers and students to address these questions and discuss the Arctic in global, regional and local perspectives.
 
Arctic Encounter Paris (AEP 2015), December 11-12, 2015 (Paris, France) (During the UN Convention on Climate Change - COP21). The Arctic Encounter Paris will take place at the French Senate at Luxembourg Palace and the French Military College, �cole Militaire, in Paris, France, on the final days of the monumental United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP21) where thousands of global citizens and government delegates will be gathered to deliberate the world's response to our changing planet in Paris. The AEP is the only Arctic policy side event currently planned to take place during the UN Convention. A reception will take place following the closing panel.
 
 
Building upon the preceding Arctic Encounter event in Paris, the third annual Arctic Encounter Symposium (AES) in Seattle, Washington will convene policymakers, industry leaders, and leading experts to confront the leading issues in Arctic policy, innovation, and development. As the largest annual Arctic policy event in the United States, the AES mission is to raise awareness, engage challenges, and develop solutions for the future of a region and a people. The two-day program includes two keynote luncheons, expert plenary sessions, break out sessions, a networking cocktail reception and seated dinner. A closing reception will take place at the conclusion of the program. 
 
Arctic Science Summit Week Arctic Observing Summit, March 12-18, 2016 (Fairbanks, AK, USA). ASSW is the annual gathering of international organizations that support and facilitate long-term planning in Arctic research. In 2016, ASSW will be held in conjunction with AOS, which brings people together to facilitate the design, implementation, coordination and sustained long-term operation of an international network of Arctic observing systems.
 
  
11th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016), June 20-24, 2016 (Potsdam, Germany). The Alfred Wegener Institute has teamed up with UP Transfer GmbH and the University of Potsdam to organize a great conference for you, permafrost researchers. The conference aims at covering all relevant aspects of permafrost research, engineering and outreach on a global and regional level.
  

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